Method of erecting collapsible gasholders



2 Sheets-Sheet 1l vBY K JAGSCHITZ METHODOF ERECTING COLLAPSIBLE GASHOLDERS 'Original Filed Feb. 21,. 1.936

Jan. 11', 1938.

TI'ORNEY Jan. 11, K JAGSCl-"Tz 2,105,080

METHOD OF EIRECTING COLLAPSIBLE GASHOLDERS Original Filed Feb .#21, 1956 2 Sheets-SheetZ Patented Jan. 1l, 1938A Ms'rncn or Ensems comsrsmna cs snomsns Konrad Jaxschltz, Grigin'al application February 2l, 1936, Serial No.

ded andthi s application March z5, 193,1, semina 13am I e claim. (ci. zii-u) The present'invention relates to sasholders for the storage of large volumes of gas in the open,

and more particularly to an improved method o f erecting collapsible gasholders, this application being a division of my copending application, Ser. No. 65,004, filed Feb. 2l, 1936.

The construction of large gasholders has presented a number of diiiicult problems in connection with safety, cost of construction and maintenance, size of the dead" space (residual gas volume in the empty" condition of the gasholder), etc'. Some of these problems have theretofore not been solved at all, while others have been solved only at thecost i of creating or iigl'avat-A ing other diii'iculties.

Thus, the matter of the dead space has presented a serious problem from the `standpointvoi safety, since air may leak into such space, or is deliberately forced thereinto to drive out the residual gas to enable workmen to enter the same for repairs in both of these events there is danger of formation of an explosive mixture which is liable to be: ignited by the spark or flame of welding or other tools used in making repairs. Also, the desirability oi' a constant gas 4pressure has long been recognized, but has not generally been obtained with the known telescopic gasholders, wherein the weight of the gassuspended shell increasesto greater extents as additional sections are lifted (the area against which the gas liitingly actsincreasing only slightly). so that as the gasholder becomes nlled to greater extents the gas pressure increases; while conversely, as the gasholder becomes depleted and the lower section or sections come to rest s on the bottom, the gas pressure falls. A further i difiiculty which has led to greatly increased constructionai costs arises from the fact'that in water-sealed bell or telescopic gasholders, -the foundation must be made strong enough to withstand the pressure not only of the gas and the weight of the shell, but of the enormous column of water, which may be 40 feet or more in height. In the case of the waterless gasholder, no column of water is supported by the foundation, but on the other hand the weight o f the shell of the gasholder is concentrated upon the foundation ar directly below such shell, so that atleast at such area the foundation must be made much stronger and much more proof against settling than the central portion which resists only the pressure of the gas. Moreover, in both the water-sealed and the waterless gasholders, sealing devices are required to prevent th'e escape of gas; these seals require constant attention and Ithus incur continuous operating expense. Also, as is well known, the' water-sealed lgasholder requires elaborate and expensive guiding structures for the moving shell sections, which not only increases the cost of the apparatus, but ailords opportunity for binding of 5 the guides on the shell sections against the framework, resulting in possible separation between the relatively movable parts. This causes knot only loss of gas, but the more serious danger of entry of air into the gasholder and the formation of 10,

an explosive mixture therein. .In the case of the waterless or disk gasholder, a dead space exists abovethe disk even in the uppermost position of the disk in order to accommodate the guiding structure for the disk and is connues by the shell and roof structure. This dead space not only keeps a considerable part of the shell structure idle so far as gas'storage is concerned, but (especially as it increases in depth as'the disc falls) requires special provisions for keeping it well ventllated to prevent gas that may leak thereinto from forming an explosive mixture. I

It is the object of the present invention to provide a gasholder of simple construction in which the disadvantages of prior constructions are eliminated. In particular, it is the object of the invention to provide a collapsible gasholder which is so constructed that in the empty condition of the gasholder it lies ilat upon the ground, like i the upper half of a collapsed balloon. and encloses substantially no dead space.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a gasholder which, .as it is lled to greater and greater extents, expands in such mannerthat the load on the body of gas remains substantially constant, 'so that the gas pressure likewise is con- Apressure upon the foundation is small, there being no water load: and is practically uniformly distributed, so that only a relatively inexpensive foundation is required.

These and other' objects of the invention are attained by constructing the shell or side walls of the gasholder in the form of a series of convolutions, undulations or corrugations of more or less elastic, resilient, or pliable material. 'I'hese convolutions, undulations or corrugations may take any of a great variety or shapes, being either continuously curved or angular, or composed of a combination ,of planar and curved surfaces, the outline in the expanded condition tapering from the bottom toward the top roughly in the manner of the lateral surface of a truncated cone. The convolutions of the shell are so constructed that they have a certain degree of expansibility and compressibility, and are preferably so designed that in the collapsed condition of the gasholder the annular convolutions lie contiguously with respect to each other upon the floor or ground, the center being occupied by the top or roof of the gasholder which, together with the bottom, may be circular, polygonal, or be composed of so many sides that it is practically circular. The gasholder may be and preferably is reinforced or stiffened in any suitable manner and in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the .reinforcement takes the form of an articulated skeleton framework which is attached to the various folds or convolutions of the shell and moves with the shell during its expanding and collapsing movements, the parts of the framework being so constituted and arranged as not to interferewith the movements of the shell.

The invention will be further described with the aid of the accompanying drawings. which show by way of example a preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that the invention is by no means limited to the specific embodiment illustrated. In said drawings,

Fig. 1 shows schematically and in vertical section a gasholder constructed in accordance with the invention, the' gasholder being in the `extended condition.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the gasholder in the collapsed condition in which the convoluted or undulated shell or wall and the top rest upon the ground or foundation.

Fig. 3 shows a partial section through the extended shell on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section cf a portion of the completely collapsed gasholder, and

Fig. 5 illustrates a wear-proof connection between a part of the reinforcing framework and the shell.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the gasholder consists in general of a bottom I0 resting upon the ground or foundation II, a shell or side wall I2 and a roof or top I3. The bottom or base of the gasholder is considerably larger than the roof so that the shell extends from the bottom toward the top at an inclination to the vertical, the whole structure in the inflated condition shown in Fig. 1 resembling roughly a truncated cone or a truncated many-sided pyramid. The outline of the shell or side walls need not, however, follow a.

straight line from the bottom to the top, but may be slightly arched, as illustrated.

Theshell is attached to the periphery of the top as shown at I4 and is anchored in or fixed to the bottom as shown at I6, as by way of a fixed rail Iii which is attached to or embedded in the bottom in gas-tight relation. The bottom may be made of gas-proof concrete, which' mayA be cov-l ered by metal plate, or may be constructed in any other suitable or known fashion.

The shell is formed of a series of convolutions, undulations or corrugations 20 and is made of suitably elastic, resilient or pliable material so as to be extensible and collapsible, somewhat in the manner of a bellows, with the important distinction, however, that in the completely deflated `without bulge or buckle of the shell.

or empty condition of the gasholder the shell rests in the Vform of a series of continuous convolutions or undulations upon the bottom of the gasholder, while the top or roof of the gasholder rests up on the central portion of the bottom', all of the shell preferably being located in the annular space between the top I3 and the circular or polygonal line of attachment I5. In the empty condition of the gasholder, therefore, the shell consists of a series of annular convolutions extending more or less horizontally from the rim of the top to the place at which the shell is anchored in or attached to the bottom. To this end, the angle of inclination of the shell must be so determined that adequate space is afforded between the top and the place of attachment to the bottom to receive the compressed convolutions The convolutions are so formed and their number and degree of compressibility are so determined that when the gasholder: is in the collapsed condition shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the compressed convolutions fit into the annular space between the outer rim of the top I3 and the anchored lower edge of the shell.

The convolutions of the side walls are made of such depth and of such length that no excessive stresses are imposed upon the material. In the preferred method of construction as described in detail hereinbelow, the parts are so designed and related that the side walls are practically in an unstressed condition in the average condition of thegasholder, that is, when it is about half full. The maximum strain in the material is thus set up upon movement of corresponding to only about half the total height of the gasholder. The shell, moreover, yields quite readily to expansion and compression, so that only slight pressure differentials. are required to effect extension or collapse of the gasholder.

The convolutions 20 may all be of the same configuration, as illustrated, or they may be of different sizes and shapes'. Thus while I'have shown each convolution to consist of the more or less straight portions 2I, 2Ia, an inner curved portion or bend 22 and an outer curved portion or bend 23, the curved bends may be replaced by a multi-lateral shape or broken line outline.

In accordance with a further development of the invention, the gasholder is reinforced or stiffened by an articulated skeleton framework consisting of relatively pivoting skeleton sections which may be joined'together into skeleton rings surrounding the gasholder at certain convolutions or at every convolution, but having freedom of movement relatively to each othery so as to be capable of collapsing with the shell. This skeleton framework may be all arranged upon the exterior of the gasholder or part of it may be positioned within the gasholder upon the inside surfaces of the shell.

In the form of the invention illustrated the reinforcing members include the bars 24 and 25 secured to the exterior of the shell, and the plate 2B and bar 21 attached to the interior of the shell. Each pair of bars adjacent ends to the gasholder. shell, such attachment being accomplished by welding, riveting or in any other suitable manner. Each plate 26 preferably underlies the adjacent ends of the associatedfbars 24 and 25 and is likewise secured to the shell, from the inside thereof by welding; riveting, etc., the bars 24 and'25 and the plate 26 ,thus forming a more or less continuous rigid reinforcing structure which is secured to the porthe wallsfor a distance i are tapered and separated by avspac'e 24efor a purpose to be explained below. The bars 24 and 25 may, however, be joined into a single integral member and the plate 25 dispensed with.

To the outer endl of each bar24 is pivoted,

as at 28, a hook-shaped member 29 which curves'-V about the outer bend of a; convolution, the fr'ee end of the hook being flattened 'as shown at 2l.'

This free end underlies the preferably flattened end 3i of the bar 21, located upon the inside lof the -shorter portion 21a of each convolution, so that pressure can thus be transmitted by' the shell from the bar 21 to the member 2l and vice versa.

Thebar 21 is pivoted as indicated at I2 upon an angular plate I3 whose base is secured inany suitable fashion to the shell. The bar is thus free to move about a horizontal axis to accommodate itself to changes in the curvature in the shell portion 21a.

The other end 34 of the bar 21 may likewise be flattened and is arranged to overlie the preferably curved and attened end 35 of a link 25 which is pivoted at 31 to the bar 25 and is located beneath the bar 21 upon the exterior of the shell.

'Io avoid wear upon the shell by the ends 30, and at the same time hold the parts 28 and 35 in proper relation to the shell, suitable buffer means may be provided. In the form of the invention illustrated, such means comprises a headed stud or rivet 38 whose head lo., is welded or clamped tothe shell in gas-tight manner. The shank 40 of the `stud is received vwithin an e'nlarged aperture 40a in the end of the respective part 28 or 35 so that such end has a limited freedom of movement relatively to the shell, the

shank being long enough to prevent disengagement lbetween the stud or rivet and the associated part. v

The bars 24, 25, and 21 may be oi any desired shape; thus they may be of angular, channel,

.T, or flat form; or certain of them may be of one shape and others of another.

The inclined zig-zag series of bars and plates 25, 25, 24, and 21 and link 35 is attached about the shell at intervals, say at 3 or 4 foot distances. To secure'greater rigidity and insure against distortion of the shell, especially in larger 'gasholders, the adjacent vertical series of reinforcing members may be connected by horizontal or diagonal bars or struts; :thus the'adjacent hook members 29 may be connected. together by tiey rods orbars 4I which may be of angular or other suitable shape. Similar connecting members may be attached to the adjacent bals 24 and/or the bars 25'and 21. l

It'will be seen from the above that the parts 24, 25, and 26 constitute local regions jof greater rigidity and are'connected by the pivoted members 29 and 35 to the adjacent bars 21 so that an Varticulated reinforcing latticework extends from the top to the bottom 'of the gasholder,

which serves to stillen the gasholder and assist the latter in resisting wind pressures. y These reinforcements, furthermore, are so attachedand i arranged that the convolutions of the shell bear against them and transmit ,the gas. pressure to them, the reinforcements acting at all times to prevent distortionrof the shell out of itspredetermined shape.l

The reinforcing structure may also serve as a support for part of the weighting means whereby the desired gas pressure is maintained in the gasholder. These weighting means may consist volutions of the shell, the blocks being spaced at certain distances along the circumference to upon the bars somewhat less than half the distance to the next bar. All of the weights may be placed upon the outside of the shell, but some of the weights are preferably suspended from the interior surface of the shell, as shown at 4I. In such case the blocks of concrete are received within casings or hangers 44 which are welded, riveted, or otherwise secured to the shell, preferably directly below the bars 25, so that the weight of such blocks is taken up by said bars. It will. of course, be understood that the concrete blocks may be replaced by slabs of iron or other suitable weighting means.

Where the blocks 43 are 4employed within the gasholder, it is preferable to shape the bottom surfaces 45 thereof in such a manner that when the gasholder is in the collapsed condition shown in Figs. 2 and 4, such blocks can rest atly upon venting distortion of the collapsed shell.

All of the load can be placed upon the roof, but at least in certain cases it may be preferable to distribute some'of it on the shell. The weights resting on the reinforcing bars 24 may be held in place by bands (not shown) or in any `other suitable manner. To avoid excessive bending moments, the weights are positioned symmetrically with respect to th center 25a of the more or less rigid structure 24-26-25, and approximately midway between such center and the pivots 28 and 36.

.The roof may be built up of sheet material and is attached in gas-tight relation with the shell. The load on the roof may take the form of a layer of concrete or of a large number of indi- `of blocks of concrete extending along the con- `the floor of the gasholder, and thereby aid in premay be provided for the roof but has not been il lustrated as it forms no part of the present invention. t y

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, each convolution may be built up of two annular sections of sheet material, the iirst beginning at 40 and underlapf, ping or overlapping the second section at 50, the second section terminating at 5| where it overlaps the next shell section. The ends of certain of the shell sections may be bent away from the surface of the shell to'form a flange 52 which serves to stiffen the shell sections in the transverse direction. The plate-25 underlies the lap joint and as already explained serves to producea more or less rigid connection between the adjacent ends of the bars 24 and 25. To stiffen the other portions of the convolutions they may be crimped as shown at 53 to increase the resistance to transverse bending. t

One of the important features of the gasholder above-described is that it can be erected entirely upon the floor or bottom of the gasholder, no

20 the inner bend 22 40 during erection of 5 to by being built up thereon. During these operations the parts 55 and 55 are not under external stress. The bars 24, 25, and 4l are then attached and upon the bars 24 and 25 are supported or suspended the weighting means 42 and 43. The

1o outer or left bend 23 -is thus placed under compression while the upper part of the section 55 extends into the air without tension, or under very low tension. 'I'he next section 55' is then attached to the section 55'. After the bars 21 15 have been mounted within the convolutions, the

weighting' means are mounted upon the upper' portion of the section 55 and the lower portion of the section 56', so that the outer bend of this y"next convolution is placed under pressure while is more or less free of any stress. As the construction proceeds vthe successive convolutions take the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 until finally the innermost convolution is 'attached to the one immediately preceding it and 25 to the roof.

30 to the latter is attached the next outer section,

Vand so on. The roof may be secured to the innermost section at the beginning of the erection or subsequently. It will be noted that the joint at 26 (Fig. 4) can readily be made while the weights rest on the foundation, the making of .the joints at 49 being facilitated by temporarily lifting the last assembled section. It is, of course, not necessary to attach a complete annular section at one time; each section may be built up the gasholder wall or shell, and in fact the next section may be begun before the preceding ring is complete. In any event, all parts are accessible to the workmen standing on the ground, and the large and expensive scaf- 45 folding heretofore required is thus entirely dispensed with.

The degree of weighting or loading during the construction of the gasholder is preferably so determined that the stresses in the shell become 50 zero 'when the gasholder is approximately half full; that is, in this condition of the gasholder the convolutions are under n pressure or tension. In this way the maximum stress in the shell is reduced. 4

In order to prevent excessive expansion of the gasholder, restraining means in the form of a chain or other flexible or senil-flexible device connecting the top with the bottom may be employed. In the form of the invention illustrated o0 the chain consists of an alternating series of rigid bars or rods 51 and flexible chain members 58. To prevent the chain from becoming twisted or frozen to the gasholder shell by snow and ice, the rods 51 may be secured in any sult- 05 able manner to the outer bends of the successive convolutions or to only certain of the convolutions, the rods being preferably secured to the reinforcing structures, for example, to the hook member 29,- asshown, or to the transverse conm necting bars 4I between the individual, vertically extending reinforcing structures. The flexible chain attached to the unsecured end nf a rod 51 may be connected to a succeeding outer bend 23, preferably through the reinforcing member, each 75 rod and its connected flexible chain portion thus a relief or blow-off valve limiting the degree of extension of the convolu.

tion or convolutions which they subtend.

The chains may be arranged in pairs at various places and provided with rings to serve as a collapsible ladder for scaling the gasholder.

To prevent dangerous rise of pressure within the gasholder any suitable safety device, such as 59, may be provided in the roof of the gasholder.

In the normal operation of the gasholder the nvolutions readily yield to increases in the volume of .gas and as easily collapse as the volume is decreased. Because of the flexibility of the convolutions, only very slight differences in pressure are required to cause expansion of the gasholder to the fullest extent and collapse of the gasholder until it rests on the bottom. 'Ihe reinforcing members follow the expansion and collapsing movements of the convolutions and at the same time preserve the predetermined shape of the latter and assist the shell in resisting wind pressures, as the individual series of bars 24, 25, 21 and plates 25 may be so constructed and related that the whole articulated and inclined zig-zag framework is relatively rigid against horizontal forces. The reinforcing mechanism is thus in the form of a spider framework which embraces the shell and while articulated so as to follow the movements of the shell, nevertheless resists distortion of the flat portions of the shell by internal and external pressure. y

The stability against wind pressures is greatly aided also by the fact that the bottom of the gasholder is considerably larger than the top, the structure as a whole thus possessing the highly stable equilibrium of a frustum of a cone or pyramid resting upon its larger base.

' In the preferred form of the invention the convolutions overlie each other to a certain extent in the collapsed condition of the gasholder, but each occupies part of the horizontal area between the roof and the rail i6, so that the gas pressure acts on all of them and lifts them all substantially simultaneously as gas is admitted into the collapsed gasholder. As shown more clearly in Fig. 4 the outer bend of one convolution overlies the inner bend of the next outer convolution, its.own inner bend being directed toward the floor of the gasholder. The convolutions may rest one on top of the other, and in order better to accommodate the overlying convolution the adjacent ends of the bar are tapered, as already described, so that the convolution together with its stiffening mechanism is received within the space between the bar ends. It will be understood that the weight 42 will be notched at suitable places to accommodate the hooks 29 where this should be necessary. It will be noted that in the collapsed condition of the convolutions the hook members 29 are rotated downwardly about their pivots, while the members 36 are moved outwardly upon their own pivots, so that the change in shape of the bends 23 and 22 as the shell collapses is not resisted. While the rest of the convolutions perform a limited rotational movement as the gasholder expands and contracts, the center points 25a as a rule move only vertically.

The inner tapered ends of the rod 21 are preferably so shaped that, as shown in Fig. 4, they provide a flat seat for the overlying inclined plate 25.

Because the shell lies flat on the base in the collapsed condition of the gasholder the dead spacefindicated at 60, is extremely small. This space may be still further reduced by providing a series of annular ribs or ridges 6| of concrete or the like which are shaped so as to ll substantially completely the spaces 60. Ii desired,

pressure of the gas under the shell. The roof and shell thus both noat upon the small body of gas in the gasholder. The gas is thus substantially immediately subjected tothe complete deadV weight of the gasholder and is subjected to no additional weight as the gasholder ;llls to greater and .greater extents. 'I'he gas pressure thus remains substantially constant in all conditions of filling of the gasholder. To accomplish this result, the angle of inclination of the shell must be properly chosen, taking into consideration also the fact that the convolutions are all to lie on the bottom when the gasholder is collapsed or subtend diiierent portions of the bottom.l This angle can be determined approximately by equating the total load and weight of the shell with the total upward pressure on the shell exerted by the-gas.

' 'I'he base of the gasholder is preferably tapered, as illustrated, to facilitate drainage of condensed moisture The roof may be correspondingly tapered, as shown in Fig. 2.

The gasholder shell may be made of iron, steel,

aluminum, alloys, or any other metallic or non-l metallic material having the necessary degree of elasticity or pliability.

It will be understood that the invention iscapable of numerous structural embodiments and I 'that various changes in the parts and in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principles of the invention. Thus, the bottom plate I0, which is shown as being of metal, may be omitted, the bottoml then consisting of a gas-impervious layer of concrete, stone, etc. Also, where gas of4 very low pressure is to be stored, no loading means being then used, the reinforcing framework may be omitted, as the shell will then not be subjected to distorting gas pressures.

I'claim: C 1. 'I'he method of erecting a collapsible gasholder whose shell is composed of a series oi convolutions of diminishing average diameter from the bottom toward the topwhich comprises connecting the lowermost of the series of convoluted shell sections to the` bottom, connecting the next convolution o1' smaller average diameter tothe iirst convolution, then connecting the next convolution of still smaller average diameter to the 65 second convolution and lso on until nally the inweighting means to the convolution to convolutions of diminishing average diameter1 from the bottom toward the top, which comprises building up the outermost of the series of convolutions and connecting the same with the bottom, building up the second of the series of convolutions of smaller avera'ge diameter than the first and connecting the same with said rst convolution, then building up the next convolution of still smaller average diameter and connecting it with the second convolution and so oni until finally the innermost convolution is connected with the next preceding convolution and with the roof, allD while the parts are resting upon the bottom. i K l 3. 'I'he method of erecting a collapsible gasholder, whose shell is composed o f a series of convolutions of diminishing average diameter from the bottom toward the top, which comprises building up and connecting the outermost of the series of convolutions with the bottom, placing such convolution under pressure or load, con-- necting the next of the series of convolutions of smaller average diameter to the rst convolution, then placing the second convolution under pressure or load and so on until nally the innermost 'e convolution is built up and connected with the next preceding convolution and4 with the roof.

4. The method of erecting a collapsible gasholder whose shell is composed of a series of convolutions o! diminishing average diameter from the botton toward the top, which comprises' building up and connecting the outermost of a sexies of convolutions with the bottom, attaching l place the same under compression, building up and connecting the next convolution of smaller average diameter with the rst convolution and then attaching weighting means to the -second convolution to place the latter under compression, and

continuingthe operation until the innermost convolution is built up and attached to the next preceding convolution and to the roof.

5. 'I'he method of erecting a collapsiblegasholder, which comprises building up and connecting to each other a series of expansible and contractible convolutions whose average diamef ters increase from the roof toward the bottom, all while the roof and convolutions rest on the bottom of the gasholder.

v(i. The method of erecting a collapsible gasholder in which the bottom and top are of dier'- ent diameters which comprises building up and connecting to each other a series of expansible and contractible convolutions while the latter remains supported upon the ground, connecting the convolutions to each other and to the top and bottom and maintaining the convolutions under stress so tha the convolutions reach a condition of substantia ly no stress when 4the gasholder is partially nued.

, KONRAD JAGscinTz. 

